


A Girl's Name

by apliddell



Series: It Is What It Is [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Domestic Johnlock, Johnlock - Freeform, M/M, Parentlock, Post-Season/Series 04, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Trans Sherlock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-18
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-10-20 15:06:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10665162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apliddell/pseuds/apliddell
Summary: Seems strange to choose someone else's name. Identity is such a dynamic thing.





	A Girl's Name

“What do you think of Katherine?” Though he is facing the kettle, John is apparently speaking to me.

“Who?” I’m trying to steer a spoonful of porridge into Baby Watson’s mouth, but she would very much like to do her own steering and burbles and grabs every time the spoon comes in range. Slow breakfast this morning. 

“As a name,” John sets a cup of tea at my elbow and sits down across from me with his own porridge. 

“Er, I’m quite attached to Sherlock Holmes, actually. Brand recognition.” Give up and hand Baby Watson the spoon. She throws it onto the floor at once. “I should have known you’d do that, Watson!” It’s a good job the porridge was only warm, as it’s gone all over my bare foot. 

John dollops strawberry jam onto his porridge, “Did you know you’ve never called her Rosie or Rosamund? Not once ever.” He takes a bite.

“No?” I bend and pick up the spoon, scrape the stray porridge off my skin, and wipe my hands on my pyjama bottoms (would have found that whole process revolting not long ago)(strange how quickly you can change when you have to). Take a piece of toast and dunk it in the porridge, then hand it to Baby Watson, who tucks in with sloppy relish.

“I thought we might call her Katherine. For my mum.” Ponder that quietly and hand the baby another bit of toast. She does her own dunking this time. More porridge on the floor. “Sherlock?”

Look at John and shrug, “I’m not ignoring you; I’m thinking. Seems strange to choose someone else’s name, that’s all.”

John smiles, and his face brightens with comprehension (still love it when he looks at me that way)(will always, always love it), “How old were you when you changed yours?”

“Sixteen. That’s why I picked too many,” I grin at him. “I really only wanted Sherlock, but William and Scott are grandfathers on either side, and I thought a little nod to tradition would make the whole thing go down easier with my parents. Too clever for my own good. It did work, but then they called me Bill after my grandad for the longest time. And sometimes ‘Little Bill’ if they were referring to me when speaking to an auntie or something. Dreadful. I’m not a Bill!” Shudder theatrically, then stick my tongue out at the baby, who has been listening raptly (does she understand me at all?). Sign for ‘love’ and she signs it back and kicks her high chair with a little scream. 

John beams at us, “Where did Sherlock come from, then?”

“Oh dear, did your parents never tell you? You see when two people with the appropriately reciprocal set of reproductive organs-”

John laughs and kicks me gently under the table, “How did you choose your name, clever clogs? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Kick back, “No, it’s fine. Erm. I got it out of a book.” 

John grins, “Was he a pirate? The other Sherlock?”

“No, actually. It was a fairy tale. He was a changeling. Born in the fairy world and spirited into ours, because he was a rubbish fairy. As it turned out, he was a rubbish human as well. He got along all right, til puberty or so and then er. He had to go back to the fairies.” Rub my hands together, then clasp them and tuck them under my chin. It’s been ages since I thought of that. 

John strokes my arm, “I can see why you’d have liked that.” 

Catch his hand, “You’re the only other person who knows that about me. Just me and you.” 

John presses my hand and smiles at me, “It sounds like a lovely story. Sherlock the fairy.”

“Thank you.”

John clears his throat, “I changed my name as well. I assume you know that, since you stole my birth certificate.” 

I nod, “John Hamish Watson, born John Hamish Harrison. Named for your father and changed to your mother’s maiden name when you were twenty, because your dad’s a horrible prick.”

“Quite right, full marks.” John is quiet for a moment, and I help Baby Watson to a bit more toast and offer her some milk. “So maybe it’ll be a. A placeholder. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to care about it now. Does it?” 

Smile at John, “No, we can care.”

“So what’s your mum’s name? I don’t even know; I’m a rubbish son in law.” 

“It’s Mae,” I tell him. 

“Oh, that’s pretty.”

“Yes.” I pause. “It’s derived from Mary.”

John’s face falls, “Oh.”

“Yes. But I like Katherine. She can be Katherine.” I look at Baby Watson. “What do you think?” Baby Watson thoughtfully upsets her cup of milk and rubs a toast crust in the puddle. It goes to crumbly bits in her fingers, and she begins to fuss. “Gosh, looks like we’ve had enough of breakfast, haven’t we?” I wipe her face and hands with a damp cloth, then lift her out of the high chair and raise her up over my head until she laughs, then cuddle her to me. 

“We don’t have to name her after someone,” John follows us into the sitting room and spreads Baby Watson’s periodic table blanket out on the floor, then tosses a few of her toys onto it. She begins squirming to get down immediately when she sees the toys, so I set her on the blanket to let her play. 

“What about Jane? Jane Katherine?” 

John grins, “You want to name our daughter after me?”

I smile, “Sherlock isn’t actually a girl’s name.” 

John laughs and leans forward to kiss me, “No, it isn’t.” He looks at the baby, “Jane?” She drops a block and looks round at us expectantly. John laughs and scoops her up to kiss her, “Okay! Well. That settles it! Jane Katherine. You’ve named yourself, haven’t you?” 

Kiss them both, “It seems to run in the family.”


End file.
